Senior Azure Infrastructure Automation Engineer

Cognizant; Madison (WI); Remote; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid holidays + PTO

401(k) plan & contributions

Disability coverage

Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a Senior Azure Infrastructure Automation Engineer to design, implement, and optimize automated Azure infrastructure and Windows endpoint solutions. You will lead image engineering, vulnerability remediation, Defender security initiatives, and Windows 11 migrations, collaborating with multiple teams to deliver secure, scalable automation.

Responsibilities include building image pipelines, managing Azure VM lifecycles, and maintaining automation using Ansible, PowerShell,

Qualifications

• 8+ years of Azure infrastructure engineering experience.
• Expert-level Azure VM and image engineering for Windows environments.
• 6+ years in infrastructure automation with Ansible, PowerShell, YAML.
• Strong GitLab CI/CD and artifact management experience.
• Experience with vulnerability management and security tooling.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain automated Windows image pipelines and Azure infrastructure.
• Lead Azure VM and image engineering, lifecycle management for enterprise Windows environments.
• Support Windows 10/11 engineering, image creation, deployment, and patching.
• Develop automation with Ansible, PowerShell, YAML, ARM Templates, and Jinja2.
• Administer Azure components and monitor performance and security compliance.
• Build GitLab CI/CD pipelines and enforce best practices for source control.
• Conduct security scans, patching, remediation, and vulnerability governance.

Tools

Azure Image Builder

Azure Managed Images

Ansible

PowerShell

PSADT

ARM Templates

Jinja2

YAML

Azure CLI

Azure Portal

Azure Virtual Machines

GitLab CI/CD

Vulnerability management

Microsoft Defender

Tanium

Nessus

Wiz

Zscaler

CyberArk

Active Directory

Group Policy

Microsoft 365 Apps

Oracle Client deployments

Windows 10/11

Windows Update Services

Sysprep

Job description

About the role

As a Senior Azure Infrastructure Automation Engineer, you will make an impact by designing, implementing, and optimizing automated Azure infrastructure and Windows endpoint solutions. You will lead enterprise-scale image engineering, automation, vulnerability remediation, Microsoft Defender security initiatives, and Windows 11 migration programs while leveraging modern DevOps and cloud technologies. You will be a valued member of the Cloud Infrastructure and Security team, collaborating with infrastructure, security, operations, and application teams to deliver secure, scalable, and highly automated solutions.

In this role, you will

• Design, build, and maintain automated Windows image deployment pipelines using Azure Image Builder, Azure Managed Images, Ansible, and PowerShell.

• Lead Azure VM Engineering and Azure Image Engineering activities, including image creation, testing, optimization, maintenance, and lifecycle management for enterprise Windows environments.

• Engineer and support enterprise Windows 10/11 environments, including image creation, customization, Sysprep, hardening, patching, Windows Update Services, and lifecycle management.

• Develop and maintain infrastructure automation solutions utilizing Ansible, PowerShell, PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit (PSADT), ARM Templates, Jinja2, and YAML.

• Administer and optimize Azure infrastructure components including Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Portal, Azure CLI, Managed Images, and related cloud services.

• Build and support GitLab CI/CD pipelines utilizing merge requests, branching strategies, source control governance, and artifact management best practices.

• Conduct security scans, vulnerability assessments, image hardening, patch management, and remediation activities using Tanium, Microsoft Defender, Nessus, Wiz, Zscaler, and CyberArk.

• Administer Active Directory, Group Policy, Registry Management, Microsoft 365 applications, and enterprise application deployments, including Oracle Client installations.

• Monitor platform health, availability, and performance utilizing Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Splunk Forwarder, Event Viewer, and Performance Monitor.

• Support large-scale Windows 11 migration projects and ensure adherence to security, compliance, and operational standards.

Work Model

We strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role's business requirements, this is a remote position open to qualified applicants in Plano, TX. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance through our various wellbeing programs.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you're engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured, we will always be clear about role expectations.

What you need to have to be considered

• 8+ years of experience with Azure infrastructure engineering, including Azure Portal, Azure CLI, ARM Templates, Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Managed Images, and Azure Image Builder.

• Expert-level experience in Azure VM Engineering and Azure Image Engineering, including building and maintaining enterprise Windows image pipelines.

• Experience building and supporting automated image pipelines using Azure Image Builder and Azure Managed Images.

• 6+ years of hands-on experience with Ansible, PowerShell, PowerShell App Deployment Toolkit (PSADT), Jinja2, and YAML for infrastructure automation.

• Strong experience building and maintaining GitLab CI/CD pipelines, including merge requests, branching strategies, and artifact management.

• Proven experience supporting Windows 10/11 engineering, Sysprep, image creation, deployment, endpoint hardening, Registry Management, and Windows Update Services.

• Hands-on experience with vulnerability management, security scans, Microsoft Defender, Tanium, Nessus, Wiz, Zscaler, CyberArk, patching, remediation, and compliance initiatives.

• Experience with Active Directory, Group Policy, Microsoft 365 Apps, and Oracle Client deployments.

• Experience supporting large-scale Windows 11 migration programs in Azure environments.

• Strong troubleshooting, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

These will help you stand out

• Experience building and maintaining automated image factory solutions using Azure Image Builder and Azure Managed Images.

• Experience with enterprise automation platforms such as UiPath and/or Pega.

• Microsoft Azure certifications, including Azure Administrator, Azure Solutions Architect, or Azure DevOps Engineer.

• Experience implementing Infrastructure as Code and enterprise CI/CD automation at scale.

• Experience working within highly regulated or large enterprise environments supporting thousands of endpoints.

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills with experience collaborating across cloud, infrastructure, security, and operations teams.

• Experience leading Windows 11 modernization, image standardization, and endpoint transformation initiatives.

We're excited to meet people who share our mission and can make an impact in a variety of ways. Don't hesitate to apply, even if you only meet the minimum requirements listed. Think about your transferable experiences and unique skills that make you stand out.

Salary and Other Compensation:

Applications will be accepted until September 23, 2026.

The annual salary for this position is between $100,000 - $115,000 USD depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant's discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant's applicable plans.

Benefits:

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer:

The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future.

Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.